Re: Re: Perspectives

RDehaan237@aol.com
Sun, 25 Apr 1999 06:42:44 EDT

In a message dated 4/24/99 11:15:36 AM, Bert wrote:

<<We can however be lead by state such as "God cannot lie." and the "heavens
declare his handywork." As a basic principle would God give a technically
inaccurate revelation and then expect sceptics to accept his glory. I think
not.
>>

Bert,

God would not lie in terms of the science and technology of the culture in
which the scriptural writers found themselves. For instance, Dennis Prager
stated, "Every religion in the world saw the world in cyclical terms, as a
Great Wheel." God's revelation does not endorse the Great Wheel, which would
have been a lie. In fact God rejects this then-universal mode of thought and
substitutes a new, revolutionary view. Events actually move forward.
History has a goal. The importance of this transforming view of the world
is hard to overestimate.

God does not lie with respect to the philosophy that was being foisted on the
church at Colossae, namely, that our lives are governed by the stars and
angels. The Apostle Paul gives a ringing affirmation of the priority of
Christ over everything else in the universe.

God does not lie with respect to the Greek and Roman view of the world, that
it is eternal and static. This view is still alive among some cosmologists
today. Scriptural revelation makes it clear that the universe had a
beginning and will have an ending.

Others can probably find other pagan beliefs that God did not endorse. God
did not lie with respect to them.

To me the issue is not whether God would lie with respect to some future
unheard-of technologies, but rather that he would not lie in terms of the
science and technology and world views of the cultures in which the
scriptural writers lived.

Best regards,

Bob